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This workshop will look at a project at Southridge School in which first-year ukulele players collaborated on ideas inspired by art that was part of the Biennale Public Art Exhibition. These grade six students wrote an original song complete with chords and lyrics that examined the ‘big ideas’ of their chosen piece. Students wrote their songs using any process that worked for them, supported by their teacher, a singer-songwriter mentor, and their peers. Students kept ongoing Arts Developmental Workbooks that documented their process and included reflections on their experience. Participants in this workshop will learn about the project (which could be used with any group of students and any instruments), see an example of a student original composition, and receive copies of student handouts. A discussion on transformative arts engagement for educators will then take place in which participants can share examples of what they are doing in their own classrooms to put the arts into action.

Kevin Bespflug has been a teacher at Southridge School for 15 years. He has taught grade 4 in the Primary Years Programme (PYP), was the school’s Internal Evaluation Coordinator for their accreditation visit by the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), and is currently... Read More →